* The Russian Economic Development and Trade Ministry said Russia's oil output, including gas condensate, had grown 2.2% in January-November 2005 year-on-year to 429 million metric tons, while natural gas output had stood at 577 billion cu m in January-November 2005, up 0.6% year-on-year
* Russian President Vladimir Putin said he wanted the GLONASS global navigation satellite system ready before 2008
* Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov signed a resolution levying import duties on Ukrainian reinforcing strips for ferroconcrete construction at 21% of their customs value
* Russian Central Bank First Deputy Chairman Alexei Ulyukayev said inflation would not exceed 11% and that the GDP would grow 6.4% in 2005
* Ukrainian Prime Minister Yuriy Yekhanurov said his country would announce its position on the draft protocol to the Russia-Ukraine intergovernmental agreement on cooperation in the natural gas sector December 27
* The Kyrgyz government said Kyrgyzstan and Russian energy giant Gazprom would set up a joint venture to develop new natural gas fields in the Central Asian republic
* Russian Deputy Prosecutor General Nikolai Shepel said experts looking into the terrorist attack on Beslan in the North Caucasus republic of North Ossetia in September 2004 had found no violations in the actions of the security agencies
* Russia and the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) agreed to conduct annual meetings and joint projects on energy security
* Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko said in Iraq that Ukrainian-Iraqi trade had grown 67-fold from $1.5 million to $100 million since 1998
* The Moscow City Court upheld the arrest warrant issued in absentia for Dmitry Gololobov, a lawyer for the embattled oil major Yukos accused of embezzling and laundering about $416.9 million
* The Russian Military Prosecutor's Office said it had dropped bribery charges against former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, citing the expiration of the statute of limitations
